Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Warrior characters, books, or anything else that has to do with Warriors.

A/N: Hey guys! Okay, only one quick thing to mention before you read this chapter! I totally spaced the fact that Mothwing doesn't believe in StarClan until I had finished the chapter, and I was too lazy to go back and add a whole section on Leafpaw going to tell her about the Moonpool. So, for this story's sake I'm going to pretend that she believes in StarClan just like everybody else, and that StarClan sent her a dream telling her about the Moonpool. That way she'll meet with the other medicine cats at half-moon without any interference from Leafpaw. That makes my life much easier! Anyway, go ahead and read Chapter 14, and don't forget to review!

Chapter 14

A warm, musky scent suddenly filled the air around Leafpaw. It wrapped gently around her as softly as the long, swaying grasses of WindClan's territory, and as it did she felt her heart leap in her chest. She bounded to her feet and raced out of the medicine cat den, swiftly turning the corner into the clearing.

She then ran right into Crowfeather.

He mrrowed softly with laughter and gently untangled himself from her. "Hello, Leafpaw."

"Hi, Crowfeather," she whispered shyly.

Leafpaw closed her eyes and let his soft scent engulf her. He drew closer, and her fur tingled as he brushed against her. She leaned into him, every inch of her body radiating with happiness as he wrapped his tail around her.

"I love you, Leafpaw…" he whispered.

O O O

Leafpaw's eyes flew open. Gasping, she scrambled to her feet, shaking herself to clear her head of the dream that was still stretched inside of it like a cobweb.

"Don't tell me you're finally up!" Cinderpelt appeared in the doorway of the medicine cat den. She smiled at Leafpaw. "It's about time. Now you can help me sort this herb pile – it looks like a litter of kits came through and destroyed this place." The gray she-cat rolled her eyes. "Which is what probably happened when I had my back turned."

She looked more closely at Leafpaw when the apprentice didn't answer. "Leafpaw, are you okay?" Cinderpelt frowned. "You have an odd expression on your face."

Leafpaw shook herself one last time and forced a smile onto her face. "I'm fine – still just a little sleepy. Here, I'll get that burdock root that fell into the corner and re-stock it by the marigold."

She hurried off to complete her self-appointed task before Cinderpelt could ask her any more questions. As she worked she tried to make sense of the dream she had just experienced.

It had been so vivid… Crowfeather had been there, right next to her, whispering that he loved her… She had felt so happy when she had heard those words. Even though she didn't want to admit it – she didn't even want to think that it was true – Leafpaw had to confess that she had been horribly disappointed when she had realized the whole thing was just a dream. Crowfeather had been constantly creeping up into her mind ever since they had found the Moonpool together, and the more she thought about him, the more she realized that she did want to experience that dream in real life. She wanted to feel Crowfeather next to her; she wanted to hear him whisper that he loved her. Leafpaw didn't know how it had happened, but somehow she had fallen in love with the smoke-colored WindClan warrior.

But suddenly she was so angry at herself for letting it happen! How could she, a ThunderClan medicine cat, ever possibly be with a WindClan warrior? It was against medicine cat rules, and more importantly, it was against the warrior code! It just didn't work! There was no way that she and Crowfeather would ever be together.

Besides, who am I kidding? Leafpaw thought crossly to herself, shoving the herbs into piles much more forcefully than she needed to. Why do I even think that Crowfeather shares my feelings? He's a WindClan warrior, and I'm a ThunderClan medicine cat. We live in two separate worlds. He barely even knows me, let alone loves me. The entire thought that Crowfeather might love her too was ridiculous.

With this in mind Leafpaw forced away every detail of her dream as well as the whirlwind of feelings and thoughts that were racing through her mind. She forced herself to forget Crowfeather and she promised herself that she would never, ever, think of him again. She swore to herself that the only dream she would ever follow was the dream of being a medicine cat, and the only love she would ever have was the love of serving her Clan. As far as she was concerned, Crowfeather no longer existed.

O O O

"Are you done with those traveling herbs yet, Leafpaw? We need to be leaving soon – it's nearly sundown." Cinderpelt called to her apprentice from across the clearing.

"Yes, I've nearly got them done! Just give me one more minute." Leafpaw added the last herb to the mix. "Finished."

That night was the night of the half-moon, and so Leafpaw and Cinderpelt were getting ready to journey to the Moonpool. Leafpaw was eager to return to the Moonpool and to show it to Cinderpelt for the first time. She felt that the bubbling pool of water was even more magical than the Moonstone back in the old territory, and she hoped that her mentor would feel the same way.

Leafpaw had been concerned at first that the medicine cats of the other Clans may not have received dreams from StarClan showing them the Moonpool, but she need not have worried. Barkface of WindClan, Littlecloud of ShadowClan, and Mothwing of RiverClan were all waiting eagerly for them by the river that led to the starry pool. They all bounded over to the two ThunderClan medicine cats as soon as they appeared and immediately began congratulating Leafpaw on her discovery of a way to communicate with StarClan. She thanked them modestly and swore that any cat really could have found it, but inside their praise filled her with pleasure.

"What exactly did you find, Leafpaw?" Littlecloud questioned. "All I was told in my dream was to meet here with the other medicine cats at the half-moon because you found a place called the 'Moonpool'."

"Yeah, what is the Moonpool?" Mothwing asked. "Where is it?"

"The Moonpool is basically the same as the Moonstone," Leafpaw explained, "but instead of a rock it's a tiny bubbling pool connected to this river. It's much higher up on the river, past the edge of WindClan's territory."

"How did you find it?" Barkface mewed.

"Spottedleaf, one of ThunderClan's past medicine cats, came to me in a dream. She showed me how to get to the Moonpool, and then she said that if I followed the path she had shown me, I would find StarClan. Once I had woken up I followed that path, and I came upon the Moonpool just like she said I would. StarClan talked to me there and told me that we could communicate through it just like we had the Moonpool."

Leafpaw decided to make no mention of the fact that Crowfeather had helped her find it. She didn't know if he had said anything about it to any of the WindClan cats, but Leafpaw assumed he hadn't because Barkface did not say anything about him.

The other medicine cats took a minute to absorb what she had said. Leafpaw soon became tired of waiting, though, and finally asked if they could get going so that they could reach the Moonpool. "It's amazing," she promised. "I can't wait to show it to you."

It took them longer to reach the Moonpool than it had Leafpaw and Crowfeather, considering they had to stop every now and then to let Cinderpelt rest her leg. Even so, they reached it well before moonhigh.

"Wow," mewed Littlecloud as soon as they stood before its glittering waters. "This is amazing."

The wind swirled around Leafpaw and whispered in her ear just as it had before.

"Well," Barkface chuckled, "we might as well not just stand here. What do you do in order to reach StarClan, Leafpaw?"

"I'm not really sure," Leafpaw admitted hesitantly. "The first time I came here StarClan just kind of … appeared."

"Then maybe we should all just lie down around the pool," Barkface suggested, "and maybe StarClan will come to us then."

Leafpaw suddenly had an idea. "Wait!" she mewed. "Back in the old forest we had to touch the Moonstone with our noses in order to be connected with StarClan, right?"

The four other cats nodded.

"Well, then maybe we need to dip our noses into the water in order to reach them here."

The other cats shrugged. "We'll see if it works."

"Wait." Cinderpelt stopped the medicine cats before they could settle down around the water. "There's something I'd like to do first." She smiled down at her apprentice. "Leafpaw, come here, please."

Leafpaw assumed she was going to congratulate her again on finding the Moonpool, but she was a bit irritated at her mentor for doing so. She was eager to meet with StarClan in her dreams, and besides, she had already been thanked and congratulated quite a few times. She was starting to feel embarrassed by all the attention.

"Leafpaw," Cinderpelt began, "was chosen by StarClan to find the Moonpool and I believe that this shows how much they trust her. I too trust and respect her, and I have watched her grow into a caring and capable medicine cat."

Leafpaw felt as if the breath had been knocked out of her. Was Cinderpelt really doing what she thought she was doing…?

"That is why I, Cinderpelt, medicine cat of ThunderClan, call upon our warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the way of a medicine cat, and with your help she will serve her Clan for many moons."

Cinderpelt turned to her apprentice. "Leafpaw, do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine cat, to stand apart from rivalry between the Clans, and to protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do." Leafpaw's voice shook with excitement.

"Then by the powers of StarClan I will give you your name as a true medicine cat. From this moment on you will be known as Leafpool, in honor of you discovering this Moonpool. StarClan honors your loyalty and faith."

Cinderpelt laid her muzzle on Leafpaw's head, and she licked her mentor's shoulder.

"Leafpool! Leafpool! Leafpool!" Mothwing began a chant for her friend, and soon the other medicine cats joined in.

Leafpool glowed with pride. "Thank you," she whispered. She turned to her mentor. "Thank you, Cinderpelt," she repeated.

Her mentor smiled down at her. "You deserved it. Now, let's go ahead and meet with StarClan."

As Leafpool lay down next to the bubbling pool and dipped her nose into the cool water, pride and happiness flowed through her. She was a full medicine cat! In this moment she felt like nothing, not Crowfeather or anything else, mattered more. In this moment she knew that she would be happy to spend the rest of her life serving her Clan.